Massive wooden railway bridge fire in South Vancouver intentionally set

The Vancouver Fire Department has confirmed that this afternoon’s fire on the Marpole Railroad Bridge was intentionally set.

The swing span bridge is owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway and links to the Arbutus Corridor railway, which could be reactivated and has been a topic of major controversy.

Smoke from the blaze created a large column of smoke that blew eastward towards the Oak Street Bridge, causing poor visibility which led to a complete shutdown of the bridge for a period during the evening rush hour.

However, even with the smoke’s close proximity to Vancouver International Airport’s North Runway flight path, no flights were delayed.

The fire was extinguished by more than three dozen firefighters and a fire boat. No one was injured in the blaze.

Officials are currently examining the extent of the damage done to both the 1902-built bridge and two adjacent small buildings.